Page 11 of 35
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:45 pm
by Fretless
Right, we now have the Topping D30 on office duty and me getting really dissatisfied with the bedroom set, having heard what it can do. Amp is still a Sansui AU217 with old-style wooden Cube3's.
Swapping a couple of things has got me pretty happy again - I do enjoy a last bit of music as I fall asleep, or early in the morning, and this installation is getting a lot of use. Not least because it has been the only time I've had to play music on a lot of recent days.
Tried the Cambridge DacMagic 100 but that just came across as dull and woolly, even though it had been sounding fine before.
Switching over to a DacMagic Plus did tighten things up a lot, but the solid detail of the D30 wasn't being approached.
Raiding the headphone system in the lounge for the Plus also provided me with a higher-grade digital source, an Allo DigiOne player which I plugged into the Chinese LPSU that I recently acquired.
Now this setup is singing again. The DMPlus has a fuller, rounder character than the D30, but lacks the sharp, informative edge that DAC displays.
But mainly I want to enjoy my sounds in a relaxing way and this DMPlus / DigiOne combo fits that bill just perfectly.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:28 am
by Simon Hickie
Sounds good Fretless! I've gone for the Khadas Tone Board from Amazon. It also does DSD, and on all the comparative reviews I've seen, it performs well above its price point. It's a bare board, but I can either install it in a DIY cigar box, or buy one in from a supplier in France. On the S/PDIF cable, I've gone for a Belden 1694a cable with Canare plugs job. It's supposed to be the closest you can get to a true 75 ohm cable without going for BNC connectors. Every review & forum I've been on suggests that this Belden cable is hard to beat as a digital interconnect. I've also gone for a 1.5 meter length - something to do with it being the optimal length to prevent reflections in the cable - paper here:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/spdif.htm
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:23 pm
by Simon Hickie
The Khadas Tone Board has arrived and is now installed. First impressions are very positive. Despite only having a few hours on the clock, it's pretty obvious to me that it's outperforming the AQ Dragonfly Red. In particular, orchestral instruments are more textured and with better defined leading edges. I have it running off the old laptop with the stock Khadas USB cable for power and signal. Once I have the HifiBerry Dii+ Pro installed, that will another step forward.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:22 pm
by George Hincapie
Fretless wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:45 pm
Right, we now have the Topping D30 on office duty and me getting really dissatisfied with the bedroom set, having heard what it can do. Amp is still a Sansui AU217 with old-style wooden Cube3's.
Swapping a couple of things has got me pretty happy again - I do enjoy a last bit of music as I fall asleep, or early in the morning, and this installation is getting a lot of use. Not least because it has been the only time I've had to play music on a lot of recent days.
Tried the Cambridge DacMagic 100 but that just came across as dull and woolly, even though it had been sounding fine before.
Switching over to a DacMagic Plus did tighten things up a lot, but the solid detail of the D30 wasn't being approached.
Raiding the headphone system in the lounge for the Plus also provided me with a higher-grade digital source, an Allo DigiOne player which I plugged into the Chinese LPSU that I recently acquired.
Now this setup is singing again. The DMPlus has a fuller, rounder character than the D30, but lacks the sharp, informative edge that DAC displays.
But mainly I want to enjoy my sounds in a relaxing way and this DMPlus / DigiOne combo fits that bill just perfectly.
I bought an MCRU LPSU for the DMP some years ago, and found it to improve SQ in a genuinely significant way. Perhaps something to mull over.
Have a good weekend.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:40 pm
by CN211276
I bought the MCRU LPS for my Qutest not long ago and it has made a worthwhile difference. I put off the purchase because of some less than enthusiastic reports. On closer scrutiny all of the less favorabe reorts were in systems with speakers I do not rate. That, along with the return option, made up my mind.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 11:21 pm
by Fretless
On the Cambridge Dacmagic. I have a SBooster LPSU for them but even using that with the DacMagic 100, the Topping D30 (on a wall-wart) blew it completely away.
The DacMagic Plus and SBooster has a rounder sound than the Topping and is as enjoyable - at 5x the price.
Very curious to see what a linear supply can do for the D30.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:53 am
by karatestu
MCRU linear psu ?
Is that made by Nick Gorham ? If so it must be awesome.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 12:58 pm
by CN211276
karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:53 am
MCRU linear psu ?
Is that made by Nick Gorham ? If so it must be awesome.
It is made by Nick. Also have a MCRU PS for my streamer. aHe makes one now for the M-Scaler, but any PS which does not come with it invalidates the warentry.
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 1:33 pm
by karatestu
CN211276 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 14, 2019 12:58 pm
karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:53 am
MCRU linear psu ?
Is that made by Nick Gorham ? If so it must be awesome.
It is made by Nick. Also have a MCRU PS for my streamer. aHe makes one now for the M-Scaler, but any PS which does not come with it invalidates the warentry.
Wait til the warentry has run out then get one
Re: DAC to the Future
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 9:30 am
by Fretless
Bargain hunters in for some 'ChiFi' might want to check out the SMSL Official Store in AliExpress - they have a clearance section where old and used models are offered at advantageous prices.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/ ... 189971.1_5
SMSL have built up a reputation for good-sounding and reliable products.
There are a couple of nice DSD DAC's there as well.
Hmmm....
